Behavioral and Brain Development Branch (BBDB)

What We Do:

The Behavioral and Brain Development Branch (BBDB) supports a spectrum of research and research training programs that addresses relationships among drug use/abuse/addiction, social/physical environment factors, and human development, with emphasis on neurodevelopmental, cognitive, and behavioral mechanisms that underlie these relationships. Studies cover the full developmental time course from prior to conception through adulthood and into senescence, and utilize a variety of behavioral and neuroscience research methods. The Branch supports research on a wide range of substances, including all illicit drugs, steroids, inhalants, abused prescription and over-the-counter medications, tobacco/nicotine, and alcohol when used in combination with other substances. Investigations involving relationships among development, drug use/abuse, and HIV/AIDS are encouraged. Also encouraged are studies of developmental processes that can inform drug abuse research, projects utilizing translational research approaches, gene-environment-development interaction studies, research involving comorbid mental health disorders, investigations of protective and resilience factors, and sex/gender analyses. Developmental intervention studies are relevant to multiple program areas supported by the Branch, as are studies intended to advance methodologies.

Research Programs:

Consequences of Youth Drug Use/Abuse on Brain and Behavioral Development in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Characterization of the neurobiological consequences of drugs of abuse on the developing brain and the mechanisms underlying these consequences